As I mentioned, the dwarven kingdoms hav not lived up to the true Armok-given calling of dwarvenkind. Far better than the elves or goblins they are of course, but we cannot follow their course. Thankfully, Armok has smiled upon us. Queen Zulban Cudgelrouted ascended to the throne five years ago, and has decided it would be mutually beneficial to rid her kingdom of our destabilizing influence, as well as giving the goblins a new problem if we are successful. She knows where we are headed -- there is only one destination for a true worshiper of Armok. Accordingly, we have been granted an expeditionary license.
But first, you should know more about us and the true nature of Armok. We are the order of Kirarsemor, "The Righteous Union". There are 32 of us -- less than three dozen faithful in the entirety of this realm. We are the remnant.
Our foundational principles are laid out as follows:
Kirarsemor's Charter
I. Independence.
This takes multiple forms. First and foremost it is independence from any corrupted civilizations. We accept and offer no aid order from these tainted societies. In order to achieve this, we have a strict policy that has been falsely labeled by non-believers as 'xenophobia': it is not out of fear, but out of the necessity for purity, that we will keep our lands safe from the infectious presence of any mobile organic life forms. Beast, elf, human, non-believing dwarf, it matters not. Any who enter will be pursued vigorously and exterminated.
Another facet of independence is our approach to the environment. The elves arer foolish enough to consider the natural world a fellow traveler, an equal life to be coddled and protected. Humanity lacks the skill and courage to do anything but scratch the surface, the goblins are mere scavengers, the kobolds have no ambition at all to even try to deal with the wealth of nature, and our fellow dwarves have corrupted their spirit by relying on all manner of automated machinery to relieve themselves of the necessary struggles of war and economy.
These struggles are what make us truly dwarven. We achieve our true purpose only through the process of discovery and dwarfpower. That which we cannot do ourselves is not worth doing -- it weakens us and is an offense to Armok and the true knowledge of him and our place in the world. The near-universal worship of the five-lettered substance that shall not be named to fuel the fires of industry is among the greater sins of the established dwarven powers, such as they are. Traps, mechanical power of any kind, and any other process which relies not on dwarfpower but on external aid are all of them abominations.
II. War
Death against a worthy adversary is the highest calling and crowning glory of a dwarf. By proving ourselves in battle, we implore Armok to send us foes able to test our mettle. Worship is not something done at a shrine -- it is done in living out the universal dwarven calling to combat.
III. Excellence
The Armok-ordained symbiotic relationship between dwarves and the earth compels us to the pursuit of excellence in extracting, cultivating, and using these elements. We do not look to aimlessly destroy the environment, but rather to use it in furthering the high calling of war first, and the pursuit of furthering dwarven life second. Those things that we build and construct are for the purpose of showing with our vocational work that we are making the best use of the many talents we have been given.
This symbiosis with the environment also impacts the use of natural resources. Renewables are used wherever appropriate, and under no circumstances are the fruits of the earth to be intentionally destroyed. We do not mourn like the weak-willed elves when a tree is felled however: we rejoice with the thought of what uses we will put it to.
CASTES
In order to implement these principles, we have set forth the following guidelines for the pure dwarven society it is our mission to form:
** Zealots. A zealot is the pinnacle of dwarfdom. There are no known zealots, living or dead, to the shame of our race so far. A Zealot must be sequestered from childhood, set apart for the sacred duty of the pursuit of mastering the arts of combat. When a threat presents itself that threatens the fort, then and only then are the zealots called out. Theirs is the honor of meeting these enemies as the first line of defense. Mere guard duty is far beneath them. They train, eat, sleep, and fight. They do nothing else.
** Soldiers. The more menial combat tasks of dealing with smaller threats, patrolling, internal justice, etc. are carried out by the professional soldiers. These commit to military duty two months out of every season. One in five dwarves is to be given the honor of being either a Solider or a Zealot(if any fit for the latter task are ever born).
Most of the rest of the dwarves are required one month of military service each season.
** Craftsdwarves are one exception. Members of this caste are the best living practitioners of a craft which is essential to the fort. In times where their skills are critically needed in their industry to keep things operating smoothly, they are exempted from the service requirement. In this way, sacrifice the opportunity of war service for the good of the society as a whole.
** The other exception are Nobles. Any who serve in an administrative role claim this title. Their sacrifice is great indeed, and is often misunderstood. There are some who have harbored a generalized hate for Nobles, but in taking on their administrative role they sacrifice almost entirely any chance of being known for their own accomplishments: they may only earn honor by presiding over the achievements of others. Nobles split their time evenly between their official duties and socializing. Only by knowing well the citizenry can they properly discharge the duties of their office. They are the only dwarves who, for the period of their appointment which in many cases will be a lifetime duty, will receive no military training of any kind.
The remainder of the castes are the basic economic distinctions, all with the basic military service requirement.
** Artisans are those highly proficient in high-skilled but non-essential industries. Gem cutters and setters, weavers, etc.
** Laborers are those involved in low-skilled professions, mostly resource gathering as fisherdwarves, woodcutters, miners, etc.
** Peons are the bottom of the chain -- they are those not considered worthy of any higher position, economically speaking. They are the haulers, constructors of simple buildings, and the like -- they do only unskilled work. When a new dwarf is needed for a specific profession, military draftee, etc., one of the Peons will be promoted to fill the role.